Crossing the Gulf
12 February 2020 | Clearwater, Madiera Beach
John Robin | Clear, 82 degrees
The US Coast Guard placed a notice on our comments section. Not to worry anyone. We lost contact with a buddy boat, and they became concerned and Asked for a transmission relay. We are currently 6 miles from Clearwater, after a 24 hour trip. All is good. More to follow , after we have a sleep!
After the nap:
When the Coast Guard found that our buddy boat " Quiet Company" could not contact us, there was concern that something had happened to us. What really happened was that we were at the appointed rendezvous at the correct time. The other vessel, leaving from a different marina, encountered problems with tide and current, and was an hour late. We had to make a " go, no go decision" and elected to move forward on this overnight trip. The weather window of low winds and small seas was closing with another storm approaching. The difficult part of this was that there is no radio, or cell communication in this area because of the distances offshore. The trip is 185 miles long, and took us 26 hours. We have talked to the coast guard and all is well now.
Note: We do appreciate the concern, and professionalism in the Coast Guard’s men and women. When everyone else is heading in for shelter; they are heading out on rescues!
Just 185 miles south and the temperature is now in the 80s. Yahoo!